Pocket-billiard-table gully.



F. c. HOBBS." POCKET BILLIARD TABLE Gum.

6 1 w 6 7H L w 3 er fi J l I 1 1 n l I l I I l l 1 1 1 l l l l 1 l l 1 1| m lvill I IL d M e S x TIJIJ t l J n 3 I m r a P J APPLICATION FILED MAY13.19 15.

1 THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cc|., wAsHINgToN, D. c.

F. C. H OBBS. POCKET BlLLlARD TABLE GULLY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, I915.

Patented Ma127, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH o., WASHIPVXG'ILON, D. C.

F.' C HOBBS. POCKET BILLIARD TABLE GULLY. APPLICATION Hm) MAY 13, 1915. 1,174,151,

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mmmw Patented Mar. 1916.

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FRANK C. HOBBS, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRUNSWICK-BALKE- COLLENDER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

POCKET-BILLIARD-TABI-E GULLY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. HOBBS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pocket-Billiard- Table Gullies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gullies for pocket billiard tables and its object is to provide a gully of strong and substantial metal construction which can be easily applied to a table to convey the balls from the various pockets to a gully box at one end of the table.

Another and important object of my invention is, therefore, to provide a sanitary gully of metal construction which will not permit the accumulation of dirt or other foreign matter therein and access to which can be readily had at all times for the purpose of removing dust by brushing or wiping with a cloth. a

A further object of the invention is to provide a gully through which the balls will roll without producing noise and also one which can be made in standard sections to be applied to tables of different sizes without the exercise of any particular skill.

The invention has other objects in view which will be pointed out hereafter in the detail description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved gully showing the outline of the table frame in broken lines; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line,

2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the gully embodied in a table frame; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of one end of a gully showing the adjustable fastening means; Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, elevation and plan views of the gully T; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showing the means for fastening the bars and channels together; Fig. 8 is also a detail sectional view.

Referring to the drawings, the gully come prises as a whole the main member 8 which.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Application filed May 13, 1915. Serial No. 27,833.

convey them to the main member '8. The transverse members are each located in the frame inproper position to receive balls from the end pockets of the table and the central transverse member is located to receive balls from the middle pockets oft he' The main member of the gully is rial No. 27,835 filed May 13, 1915; but it V will be understood that this invention is not limited to such use and may be embodied with other boxes and pockets with equally satisfactory results. i

The gully members each comprise a pair of track bars 15 on which the balls roll, a pair of guide bars 16 and a pair of tubular top rails 17 All of these parts are made of metal stamped or pressed into proper shape and the bars are preferably fluted or corrugated longitudinally to provide a curved side which is directed inwardly within the gully and with which the balls are adapted to engage. These curved surfaces are preferably provided with a covering 18 of rubber or other suitable material and the edges of the bars are crimped to engage and hold the edges of the covering, as shown more clearly in Fig. 7.

The gully members are preferably made in standard sections to facilitate the assembly thereof in tables of different sizes and also to simplify the manufacture and lessen the cost thereof. These sections are indicated by channel bands 19, one of which is secured at each end of each section by any suitable means, and for this purpose lugs 20 may be stamped from the bands to engage the edges of the bars, as shown in Fig: 7. The ends of the bands are preferably formed into tongues 19 which are bent over and around the top rails 17 and engaged with the channels (Fig. 8). These tongues are securely locked in the channels and for this purpose the tongues may be recessed at the side edges at 17 and the flanges of i i l 7 the channels pressed into said recesses and claws 24. The claws are adapted to engage crimped over the tongues, as shown in Fig. 8. I may also provide tubular connectors 22 in the ends of the tubular top rails to overlap-the joints thereof, as shown in Fig. 4, to facilitate the assembly of the parts and strengthen the construction.

The end members and central member are secured in the frame of the table by means of rods 23 located in the ends of the top rails and provided at their outer ends with i the sides of the table frame and hold the end members in proper position, as shown in Fig. 3. and for-this purposethe rods are adjustable in the tubular rails and can be secured in adjusted position by the binding lars 26.

3 the side of the frame will hold them permanently in place. The main member 8 may be suspended from the table by hangers 28 or by any other suitable means.

- Each of the transverse members is provided with a T-section, (Figs. 5 and 6), one end of the main member 8 being engaged with the. T 27 in the end member 9, one end of the short member 12 being engaged with the T 27 in the end member 11, and the T 27 in the central member 10 being arranged to discharge the balls from said central member into the main member 8. These Ts may be provided with rods 21 secured in the channel bands 19 to engage the tubular rails 'ofthe adjacent gully members. These Ts are all made alike, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, of the same material and in the same manner as the other sections, the bars being properly formed to guide the balls while traveling from the transverse members to the main member.

My improved gully 1s of strong and substantial metal construction which can be easily made and assembled at low cost because of its simplicity and sectional construction. As hereinbefore mentioned, the T-sections are all made alike and can be used interchangeably and the other sections of the members are also made alike and can be 4 used interchangeably. All of these sections are made out of sheet metal which can be easily worked and they are adapted to be assembled and fixed in position in a table frame without especial skill.

a The open skeleton construction of the gully prevents the accumulation of dirt and other foreign matter therein and insures that the gully is always clear for conveying the balls from the pockets to the box. If

chalk, paper, cigar or cigarette ashes or stubs enter the gully they will immediately drop through to the floor and thus all dangerof choking the gully is eliminated. The.

the accumulation of dirt or other foreign matter and all of its parts are readily accessible for the removal of dust by brushing or wiping with a cloth.

In practice the balls pass from the pockets into the end members of the gully, at or adjacent to the ends thereof, and roll toward the Ts at the center of said members which direct the balls into the main member, through which they roll into the gully box at the lower end of said main member. The short member 12 is provided to convey the balls from the end member 11 to the main member 8 to avoid dropping the balls from said end member into the main member which, at this end of the table, is located some distance below the end member. The balls roll on the bottom track bars 15, 15 and are guided by the bars 16, 16 against any tendency to jump out of the gully. This construction insures smooth and even rolling of the balls and thereby avoids any possibility'of crowding or jamming. The balls roll without producing any appreciable noise and the joints between the sections made by the abutting ends of the bars and their covering are such that no interruption of the travel of the balls is produced thereby.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of construction of my improved gully may be made without'departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention and I therefore reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly fallwithin the spirit and scope of the invention. I claim:

1. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed bars spaced apart, said bars being concavo-convex in cross section and the convex sides thereof being inwardly directed within the gully.

2. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed concave-convex bars spaced apart to form tracks and guides for the balls, each of said bars being stamped from sheet metal and having a rounded side directed inwardly within the gully.

3. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed concavo-convex bars spaced apart to form tracks and guides for the balls, each of said bars being stamped from sheet metal and having a rounded side directed inwardly within the gully, and a covering of soft material on said'bars to be engaged by the balls.

' 4-. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed bars spaced apart to form tracks and guides for the balls, each of said bars being stamped from sheet metal and having a rounded side directed inwardly within the gully and crimped edges, and a soft covering on said rounded side having its edges engaged under said crimped edges.

5. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form comprising a pair of track bars arranged in adjacent and parallel relation on which the balls travel, a pair of parallel guide bars arranged above and spaced apart farther than the track bars to retain the balls in proper position within the gully and upon the track bars, and a pair of side rails connected with and supporting said track and guide bars.

6. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed track bars and guide bars spaced apart, side rails above said bars, and

bands engaged with said side rails and passing under said bars.

7. A pocket billiard table gully consisting of a plurality of skeleton sections, each of said sections comprising tubular side rails, and connectors arranged in the abutting ends of said rails to secure the sections together.

8. A pocket billiard table gully consisting of a plurality of sections, each of said sections comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed bars spaced apart, bands at the ends of said sections, and means on the bands engaging said bars.

9. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed track bars spaced apart at the bottom of the gully, guide bars on opposite sides of the track bars and spaced apart therefrom, a side rail above each guide bar, and means connected with the side rails for supporting the bars.

10. A pocket billiard table gully consisting of a plurality of sections, each of said sections comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed bars spaced apart and a pair of side supporting rails above the bars, and channel bands engaged with the bars at the ends of the sections, the ends of said bands being engaged with said rails.

11. A pocket billiard table-gully consisting of a plurality of sections, each of said sections comprising a plurality of longitudinally disposed bars spaced apart and a pair of side supporting rails above the bars, and channel bands engaged with the bars at the ends of the sections, there being tongues on the ends of said bands bent argund the rails and engaged with the channe s.

12. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form and sectional construction and comprising a plurality of bars and tubular side rails, bands at the ends of the sections engaging said bars and rails, and means within the rails at the joints between the sections to secure the sections together.

13. A pocket billiard table gully comprising a transverse member at each end of the .table arranged to receive balls from the respective end pockets, a transverse member at the center of the table to receive balls from the side pockets,-said members being arranged in substantially the same horizontal plane, a longitudinally inclined member connected at one end with the transverse member at one end of the table and extending beneath the center transverse member and to discharge position beneath the other end transverse member, a short member connected with said other end transverse member and extending above and discharging into the longitudinally inclined member, and a T in the center transverse member arranged to discharge balls into said longitudinally inclined member.

14. A pocket billiard table gully of skeleton form comprising an inclined member extending longitudinally of the table from end to end thereof, a transverse member at one end of the table connected with said longitudinal member and arranged to re? ceive balls from the pockets at that end of the table and convey them to the longitudinal member, and transverse members located above the longitudinal member at the other end and at the center of the table to receive balls from the adjacent pockets of the table, and discharging means connected with said last-mentioned transverse members to convey balls therefrom to the longitudinal member, all of said parts being made of'standard rails, rods mounted in the ends of said rails,

and claws on the outer ends of said rods to engage the table.

18. A pocket billiard table gully comprising a transverse member having tubular side rails, rods longitudinally adjustable in the ends of said rails, binding screws operating in the rails to secure the rods in position, and claws on the outer ends of said rods to engage the table.

FRANK C. HOBBS.

Witness M. A. KIDDm.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

